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Daily Archives: September 29, 2022

How to scrub your phone number and address from Google search

Washington Post: “From a simple Google search, strangers can dig up your phone number, physical address or other personal information. You might not want that floating around the internet — or its presence could be putting you in danger. Now, Google says it’s making it easier to request that information be removed from search results. A new shortcut, which Google teased in May, is rolling out in its app and next to search results in the United States during the next two weeks. Before, you could request the removal of that type of information through this form. The change comes as concerns intensify about the connection between online privacy and real-life safety. This month, stalker forum Kiwi Farms was taken down after forum members spent years harassing women and those who identify as LGBTQ, frequently posting their physical addresses and phone numbers. Victims of domestic abuse are also at risk when their personal information appears online. Some jurisdictions, including the European Union, have adopted a “right to be forgotten,” which grants people the right to ask for their personal information to be deleted from company databases or the internet, but the United States hasn’t adopted such a law. In addition to requesting the removal of search results, starting early next year people can sign up for alerts if their personal information appears in new results, Google says…”

The Free PACER Bill Will Save Money (Despite the CBO Score)

Via Patrice McDermott – “From Gabe Roth at Fix the Court Hi, folks. I want to keep everyone apprised of what’s going on with the Open Courts Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would modernize the federal judiciary’s court records system and make access to documents free (instead of the current $0.10 per page, which… Continue Reading

Existing and Potential Use Cases for Blockchain in Public Procurement

Telles, Pedro, Existing and Potential Use Cases for Blockchain in Public Procurement (July 20, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4168144 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4168144 “The purpose of this paper is to assess the possibility of using blockchain technology in the realm of public procurement within the EU, particularly in connection with the award of public contracts. In this… Continue Reading

Submarine Cables: Risks and Security Threats

Energy Industry Review: “99% of the internet network runs through submarine cables. It is estimated that over USD 10,000 billion in financial transactions run today through these “seabed highways”. This is especially the case of the main global financial exchange system, SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications), which has recently been banned for many… Continue Reading

Deep state phobia: Narrative convergence in coronavirus conspiracism on Instagram

Tuters, M., & Willaert, T. (2022). Deep state phobia: Narrative convergence in coronavirus conspiracism on Instagram. Convergence, 28(4), 1214–1238. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221118751 “Recent scholarship has established that conspiracist narratives proliferated in mainstream online discourse during the coronavirus pandemic. This proliferation has been provocatively characterized as a ‘conspiracy singularity’ in which previously divergent conspiracy narratives converged into a… Continue Reading

300+ authors pen open letter supporting libraries’ rights in the digital age

“Signed by a vast and diverse list of authors, the letter decries conduct from major publishers and trade associations, including their lawsuit against the Internet Archive, demanding that they cease efforts to undermine the essential contributions of libraries to an accessible and inclusive world of books. Over 300 authors including Neil Gaiman, Alok Menon, Naomi… Continue Reading

Open-Source ‘Consent-O-Matic’ Tool Lets Anyone Automatically Stop Websites From Tracking Them

Vice: “Nobody really likes being tracked around the web, but rejecting cookies in a pop-up window every time you’re presented with the option can be exhausting. Now, there’s a tool that will do it for you automatically, and it’s called Consent-O-Matic.  Despite it being four years since Europe’s GDPR data protection and privacy law was… Continue Reading

SCOTUS to Keep Livestream as Court Opens Arguments to the Public

Supreme Court: “The Court will hear all scheduled oral arguments for the upcoming term in the Courtroom. Seating for the oral argument sessions will be provided to the public, members of the Supreme Court bar, and press, and Courtroom bar admissions will resume. Masking in the Courtroom for oral arguments will be optional. The Court… Continue Reading